Taking counsel from our fears

This phrase has stuck in my head lately. Perhaps it's because of some of the things going on in my life and the lives of some around me.

I believe that it means that the fear has control over you and your life, instead of just being a part of your life that you deal with and keep going.

In my case, the fear I've been taking counsel from has to do with sharing a part of my past more publicly than I'm comfortable with. What would people think? What would the reaction be? Would I suddenly no longer be allowed around certain people, places or things? Would I be blackballed or ostracized?

If I did not take counsel from my fears, I might think things like can my experience be of help? Can anyone else besides me learn from it? Is this why I went through it? Can this give purpose to something that at the time seemed so meaningless and random?

I think that as things continue, I will get some answers either way or even both ways. I also think that I will stop taking counsel from this fear when the need for the information and experience I can offer becomes more important than what others might think if they knew something like this about me.